Captain D’s Inks Deal to Grow in Southeast

Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s ongoing strong performance.

Captain D’s announced that it has signed a franchise development agreement with Chris Benner and Ed Stokes of Trident Holdings LLC. As part of the agreement, they have acquired eight corporate-owned Captain D’s locations in Mississippi and will be developing 10 new Captain D’s throughout the state, as well as in key Southeast target markets, including Louisiana and Georgia, over the next several years. Trident Holdings LLC signed its first agreement with Captain D’s in 2015, and has since become the brand’s largest franchisee, currently operating 33 restaurants across seven states. This latest agreement reflects how Captain D’s ongoing success and attractive unit economics have enabled franchisees to reinvest in the brand and continue propelling its growth.

“We’re proud that a significant part of Captain D’s expansion over the past several years has been fueled by growth from within, showcasing how our commitment to providing franchisees with best-in-class support has positioned them to continue growing alongside the brand,” says Brad Reed, chief development officer of Captain D’s. “The remarkable success Chris and Ed have achieved since joining the brand in 2015 is a true testament to the unlimited potential our franchise opportunity offers. This latest agreement coupled with the surge in franchise development we’ve experienced over the past several years emphasizes Captain D’s position as one of the strongest concepts in the fast casual segment today.”

As part of this new agreement, Trident Holdings LLC will also be adding Captain D’s sister brand Grandy’s to its portfolio, with plans to develop 10 new locations of the Southern-style quick service concept throughout the Southeast, beginning in Nashville. As Captain D’s largest multi-unit operators, Benner and Stokes are also currently spearheading the brand’s growth in Virginia, opening their third restaurant in the state last month with an additional four new locations in the pipeline.

“Since Ed and I signed our first agreement with Captain D’s three years ago, the success we’ve achieved reinforces the fact that this is an opportunity with immense profit potential,” adds Chris Benner. “One of the things that immediately attracted us to Captain D’s was that, in a sea of burger and chicken concepts, it occupied a very unique and defensible niche within the fast causal segment, which is the same quality that attracted us to Grandy’s. The exceptional team at Captain D’s has been a tremendous resource for us as we’ve continued growing with the brand, and we’re thrilled to expand our growth plans with the company and be a part of their efforts to reinvigorate the Grandy’s concept.”

Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 80 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand’s new vibrant, coastal design. With these efforts, Captain D’s has remained true to what it does best — serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.

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